On The Front Lines

Everyday The Rutherford Institute is waging a battle to protect the human rights and civil liberties of all people. Whether challenging undue government suppression of civil liberties in the courts or calling upon political leaders to strengthen their commitment to universal moral values, The Rutherford Institute works tirelessly to maintain the rights enshrined in the Constitution, and regain those that have been lost to government intrusion.

On the Front Lines (Rutherford Press Alerts) will keep you abreast of the most recent actions The Rutherford Institute has undertaken in its fight for human rights and civil liberties. From pending litigation to victories for human rights and civil liberties, On the Front Lines is the place to find information on the most pressing issues of the day. The Rutherford Institute is waging for our rights in the courts and beyond. On The Front Lines will keep you up-to-date on the crucial battles

Recent Articles

December 05, 2019

Elderly, Wheelchair-Bound Woman Alleges TSA Agents Groped Her Upper and Lower Body Without Warning in Full View of Other Travelers

The Rutherford Institute has come to the aid of an elderly Delaware woman who has alleged that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners groped her upper and lower body, including feeling inside the waistband of her pants, during a security screening at Philadelphia’s International Airport (PHL) earlier this year. In a request under Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law, Rutherford Institute attorneys have demanded copies of any video surveillance footage of the incident, which if confirmed, could support a Fourth Amendment-style lawsuit under a recent federal court ruling authorizing citizens to sue for tortious conduct committed by TSA agents. Institute attorneys point to numerous incidents in which poorly trained TSA agents have subjected elderly travelers to inappropriate touching, excessive searches and aggressive pat downs. For example, TSA employees reportedly ordered a 95-year-old leukemia patient in a wheelchair to remove her adult diaper so that agents could search her. Ninety-year-old Marian Peterson, also confined to a wheelchair, was pulled out of line for a random security check and according to her son, Joe, TSA agents “groped her. All of her body: her crotch, her breasts and everything else.”

November 21, 2019

Broken Justice: U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Address Racial Bias & Systemic Injustice That Contributed to Hispanic Inmate’s Death Sentence

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review the case of a Hispanic man who was sentenced to death—and subsequently subjected to eight years of solitary confinement for up to 22 hours a day, which is tantamount to physical torture—based on an expert witness’ racist testimony suggesting that Hispanics pose a greater danger to society than other individuals. The Rutherford Institute had asked the Supreme Court to address the many failings of America’s capital punishment system, epitomized by the case of Victor Hugo Saldaño (Saldaño v. Davis), whose death sentence and lengthy solitary confinement in Texas were allegedly the result of racial bias, mental incompetence and systemic injustice.